12 January 2017
During a routine inspection
Church Court is a care home without nursing care for up to 16 older people. On the day we visited 12 people were living there. The home is a converted house and has a passenger lift to reach three floors where people are accommodated. There was a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were supported by sufficient staff but sometimes the deployment of staff could be improved to ensure people were always well supported in the communal areas. The registered manager was accessible and supported staff, people and their relatives through effective communication. People told us they felt safe in the home. Staff knew how to keep people safe and were trained to report any concerns. People were supported by staff that were well trained and had access to training to develop their knowledge.
Individual risk assessments were completed which minimised risk for people helping to keep them safe and as independent as possible. All accidents and incidents were recorded and had sufficient information to ensure preventative measures were identified.
We observed staff responding to people in a calm and compassionate manner consistently demonstrating respect. Staff knew people well and supported them to take part in activities they liked.
Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to protect people when they needed support for certain decisions in their best interest. Care plans included mental capacity assessments and ‘best interest’ decisions where applicable. Most people made everyday decisions and staff promoted their independence.
Social and healthcare professionals supported people. Medicines were well managed and given safely. Special diets were provided to maintain and improve people’s health and wellbeing. People had a choice of meals and special diets were provided.
Quality assurance checks were completed and examples told us that action plans identified where changes were made to address any shortfalls. People and relatives were asked for their opinion about the service and their comments were taken into account to improve the service.